#anyway yeah i'd like to read it again. brotherhood is good but still not As good as the OG

[ssaalexblake]

after literally two years i have finally managed to pick up all of the fma volumes second hand for good prices. Just ordered the last one I didn’t have off a second hand bookshop. I can now actually read the official translations! 

[woodsinfusedcorpse]

List of shounen anime with well written female characters!

Cause sometimes it's annoying to watch girls constantly being sidelined or just so not written as an actual person

First 3 are the best written:

-Jujutsu Kaisen (I'd say this has the best written female characters you could find, they're amazing and well rounded and actually have different opinions and struggles and don't only revolve around men 10/10)

-The Promised Neverlands (I've only seen the first season but may read more, do not watch season 2, and Emma is amazing and also the main character which is fucking awesome)

-Chainsaw Man ( to put it simply: women are written as integral characters, written as people with their own wants and desires and fears, are entirely as important as male characters, closest to 1:1 ratio gender rep I've ever seen, uniforms are not gender based, girls can look and have cool moments. Honestly I would put this as first but I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with Denji and his obsession with sex or the Fandom. I don't want to go on to long about this or spoil things so I'll just say it's important to read between the lines and pay attention to small details, things are not face value in this.)

-Full Metal Achemist Brotherhood (tbh I've only seen FMA but I hear FMAB is a lot better and also has a lot more characters so hell yeah more cool girls. Negative is they don't really take center stage but they're still amazing)

-Attack On Titan (Mikasa is pretty average but all the other girls are top tier. I'm not counting Hange as they are gender nonspecific in the manga but Hange also rocks)

-One Piece (this may come as a surprise considering how their bodies are later drawn and same face syndrome but Nami and Robin are amazing, I loved Perona and Iiii haven't gotten passed the clown laboratory place but hopefully the women that show up later are just as awesome)

- Gintama (this is a weird anime and you probably need to have watched a bit of shounen already to get at least a bit of their references but anyways a significant amount of the woman and girls are amazing and just as weird and gross as the dudes in an unsexy lighting. Also they're cool)

Hunter x Hunter (Once again girls are not in a main focus but they're pretty great when they show up! Plus they have a transgirl who's amazing!)

Soul Eater (This one is a split, I don't have any problem with any of the girl characters but some just aren't their enough for me to consider them well written. but the ones thst are are fantastic. I believe Maka and Soul mainly share the main character role so another female lead kinda)

-Dr. Stone (the author seems to like women in general and includes them a lot but they definetly feel less important to the story and don't often push the story forward on their own. Have yet to see a women have an interest in science,which the series revolves around, but maybe there is later? Also only skimpy girl outfits and the girls have a faker looking eye style making them seem kinda less human? I doubt that was the intention but it's a little jarring)

-Demon Slayer (Most of the girls seem pretty great but I'm not counting the main girl Nezuko. She's really got no personality other then loving her brother and humans and kill demon.) UPDATE: girl characters are underutilized and often stuck with feminine rolls which the anime doesn't challenge. I like a lot of them in theory more then in practice and wouldn't recommend this to someone for fem representation but I wouldn't diswayed them from watching it either

-Claymore (I don't know if the anime is any good but the manga is great and also has a main girl character! And I love a lot of them but I also haven't read this in probably 7 years)

-Bleach (this is low for a reason, some of the girls are very well written, some almost were but them bombed and some just arent)

-D. Gray Man (I think I remember them being surprisingly good. I'd put this higher on the list but I don't fully trust my memory)

-Jojos Bizare Adventures (I have never watched this, I really don't know but I've heard about them being great and based of their designs alone I'd agree)

‐--------

It is super okay not to want to watch/read any of the above for whatever reason, these are just suggestions

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

On another note hear are ones to avoid if you specifically want to see well written female characters

Naruto/Boruto (they're so badly written... and always pushed to the back... and mainly are healers... and fuck Boruto for what it makes most of them become. Fun series but ugh)

Death Note (I love Misa and that one FBI agent but the fact I don't remember her name is pretty telling. This one's more on here because it feels like the writer actively hates women. I mean it works since Light is a piece of shit and him being a misogynist really works but it can be annoying to watch sometimes. I love this show and hate it <3)

-Fairy Tail (constantly sexualizing every girl character and they're pretty bland writing wise. If you don't mind that then watch it if it sounds appealing)

[iammultifandomaf]

Chapter 42 - Reconciliation

BROTHERHOOD

"Do you have any snacks?" Stolos asked while going through his brother's cupboards.

"Of course, I do," Michendros said, staring into his phone.

"Where do you keep them?"

"In that one below," Michendros pointed to his right, not looking up from the screen. Stolos found a bag of nachos which he found satisfactory enough and opened them.

"So you aren't into him anymore?" Stolos asked with his mouth full.

"Nah, that's not it," Michendros said and kept swiping across the phone screen, "he's not into me. So, I wanna get over him."

"And that's your solution?" Stolos nodded to his phone.

"Well, sort of. Look, we matched!" Michendros exclaimed excitadely and showed Stolos the photo.

Stolos leaned closer to it and rolled his eyes. "She has some pretty blue eyes. Contrasts her dark brown hair, doesn't it?" Stolos commented.

"So what?"

"You think that hooking up with a slightly different version of Tommy will get you over him?"

"Vivien isn't a different version of Thomas."

"Sure."

Michendros began typing into the phone, reaching out to Vivien immediately. He then laid down his phone next to him onto the bar and glanced up at his brother who has been stuffing himself with nachos.

"Good breakfast you got going."

"Yeah, leave me alone."

"So, you killed the guy in front of Lydia and her dad?"

"When you say it like that... it really sounds messed up," Stolos admitted, "at that moment it felt like the right thing to do, though."

"Uhuh, and what did she say then?"

"Well, I am definitely giving the creeps to her dad. So we decided that I should lay low around him. When it comes to Lyds... I don't know. She told me that she had... umm... She definitely didn't like watching it, even though she thought she would be glad to see it. And she apologized to me even."

"What? Why?"

"That she made me do it."

"You kind of offered yourself, though."

"Yeah, I know. I guess she knew I noticed how down she is afterwards... and I warned her before but she wanted it. I don't know really. She's really strong, I know that she'll be fine. And I am really glad that she wants to accept me 100%. I just hope that from now on we get to live a more simple life again, without all these fucked up twists."

"Hm, yeah, I wouldn't complain if people stopped messing around with us," Michendros said and raised his hand to catch the bag of nachos he made to shot up into his direction.

"Hey! Why are you taking my snacks?"

"Yours?" Michendros asked and stood up, dipping his hand into the bag, "take a banana or something else instead," he nodded to the fruit bowl.

"I am not hungry," Stolos said with defiance.

The two brothers turned their heads around simultaneously to the door frame where Thomas appeared. He stayed there, staring.

He's here? What do I do? I don't know... what to say to him. God, why is he here?

Both Stolos and Michendros sensed out Thomas' growing anxiety and Stolos raised his eyebrows at Michendros who simply said: "Morning, did you sleep well?" to Thomas' direction.

Thomas didn't answer as he was going through all the options how to address the issue he wanted to apologize for to Stolos.

"Come sit down," Michendros tried again, "I'll make you a coffee, or do you want a smoothie?" he said and proceeded to the coffee machine. Stolos took a deep breath in and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl, peeling it and taking a bite.

Thomas gathered all the courage he had and walked in his borrowed silky pyjamas to Stolos who leaned against the fridge and watched him in silence.

Michendros turned on the coffee machine and threw some fruit into the mixer, preparing both options for his new roomate.

Thomas stopped in front of Stolos, watching his own hands that he held together. Stolos glanced at Michendros who silently mouthed: "Be nice," to his younger brother.

"I wanted to," Thomas paused, realizing that Michendros even stopped the mixer, making the room uncomfortably quiet, "I wanted to talk to you... I really regret what I've done to you," Thomas finally said and looked up at Stolos who was watching him while chewing soundlessly. He didn't give out any hint of emotion, though, which made Thomas' chest feel tighter than before.

He never was so expresionless... I can't tell what he thinks at all. Is he this controled because of what he is? Or is it just a choice of attitude?

"I am not trying to fix a friendship... or whatever we had. I understand that... it wasn't really real. I just don't want... you to hate me for it. Or... hate me if you must. But I want you to know that I am sorry."

Stolos took another bite of the banana and chewed it a bit down before he spoke: "I did think of you as a friend," he informed him which made Thomas gulp, averting Stolos' eyes.

Thomas gave out a quiet: "Oh."

"Yeah, you screwed up a bit. I was angry at first for sure. But well... parents can really mess you up, huh?"

"That shouldn't be an ex-" Thomas protested but was interrupted.

"Nah, it's not an excuse, I guess. But it's really hard to get out of the cycle. I know that very well. I got messed up by a dad once, and if it weren't for my uncle and friends... well, I guess I would either masacre some innocent people or I'd kill myself alone."

Thomas looked up again at Stolos who took another bite of the banana and kept staring at him. "How did 'a dad' mess you up?" Thomas wondered.

"Well, a) I was born into a lotta families, so that's why I said 'a dad'. B) He taught me to hate all the other nations besides ours and made me search for a specific person so he could be killed. We became friends then, though."

Thomas looked at Michendros who was listening by the mixer. "Yeah, that's the same story," Michendros answered his unvoiced question.

"That's how we met at that time. He was hunting my friend who was the 'threat' to his nation. Was a loads of nonsense of course."

"You see? These things kinda keep repeating. And it hurts a lotta people on the way," Stolos concluded, finishing his banana and putting the peel besides him.

"So, you aren't mad at me?" Thomas asked, feeling relief that Stolos reacted this calmly, especially after he heared about his destructive impulsivness.

Stolos shrugged and said: "No, I guess not anymore."

Thomas slowly nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

"Yeah, you don't need to be this awkward around us, Tommy," Stolos said with a more cheerful tone and took him by the arm, pulling him into a hug, "We wouldn't take somebody in, make them breakfast," Stolos drew away from the hug and gestured to Michendros who repaid him with a smile, "and secretly wanting to hurt them. I think that we have better things to do than to play these psychological games."

Michendros then turned on the mixer and Stolos gestured to the bar stool so Thomas would sit down. Stolos grabbed the cup of coffee Michendros made for Thomas and placed it on the bar.

"Here you go, buddy," Stolos said and sat down next to him.

"Thanks." Thomas smiled at him and took the cup into his hands. Suddenly, a phone next to him vibrated which made Thomas look at the screen just to make his eye grow wide.

From: Viv_Mellorse

I have time today, hun. R u up for it? U cud come 2 my place ;)

Thomas glanced at Stolos who had an entertained grin on his face while reading the messeages on the screen.

"Yo, Mich. Your Vivien is texting you," he said loudly. Michendros turned around in panic in his eyes since he did not want Thomas to know.

"You see, that's how he's getting over you," Stolos whispered to Thomas who immediately blushed and started drinking his coffee to hide that.

"Stolos!" Michendros cried out desperately and put down a glass with the pink smoothie he just prepared.

"Sorry," Stolos grinned and added, "well, I better go now, I promised Lyds to have brunch with her and tell her some stories about my past."

Stolos patted Thomas' shoulder and left the room. Quickly, they were left alone in the kitchen, Thomas sipping his coffee and Michendros taking his phone back, reading the message he received.

"You have a date, then?" Thomas asked after he noticed that Michendros started typing on his phone.

"Um," Michendros glanced at Thomas, "unless you don't want me to."

"What? Why should I mind?" Thomas panicked and went to the dishwasher with his empty cup.

"No reason," Michendros shrugged, "but I am not leaving until five-ish. How are you feeling? Any better?"

"Well... yeah, sure," Thomas answered, not certain about his state anyways. He felt fine now, especially when it went well with Stolos. One burden down. And it was still too simple with Michendros - he is being nice to Thomas, friendly and wants to help him out - what else should Thomas ask for?

"Yeah, well, I am gonna go work out a bit. You can join me, some moving around could make you feel better, hm?" Michendros suggested and put his phone into a charger that was lying on the kitchen counter.

"You work out?" Thomas wondered.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Aren't you already... strong and stuff?"

"Sure, but... my body still reacts to what I do with it. I can make an illusion and look diffently-"

"Like with the scars..."

"Exactly. But otherwise I gotta pull my weight, too. Must admit though, it's much easier... I work out like once a week now and still am in shape," he said and patted his chest.

"Hm... and is it hard to put up an illusion like that for 24/7?"

"Well... It isn't that hard. But I have to think about it, yes. It's like being aware of a heavy backpack on your back... kinda hinders your stamina but you can do stuff."

"You don't have to do it when you're home," Thomas said quietly. Michendros rose his eyebrow at him and then looked away, thinking.

"Maybe when I am comfortable enough," he then said, "anyways... you going with me?"

"Um, I don't have any gym clothes... or membership. I stopped working out when I started preparing...," Thomas paused, not eager to finish his thought.

"That's fine" Michendros waved his hand, "go get a shower and I'll get you some of mine to choose from, hm? Or we could just make you some," he said with a smirk and put up his index finger in the air, creating a small magical spark for effect.

Thomas nodded and left the room wordlessly, Michendros watched him go and smiled softly.

I hope he'll get better soon, Michendros thought, feeling Thomas' mental exhaustion which he tried to hide away.

...

"How are you doing?" Stolos asked once they sat down into the pillows which were pilled up on the floor.

Lydia had changed her mind and wanted to meet in a less crowded space where they could have their privacy.

So, there they were, in a hookah place called Shiishaa. Lydia picked up the menu from a small table which was in the middle of the hoard of pillows and opened it.

"I am fine, how are you?" she mumbled while going through the drinks' section.

"Lyds," Stolos said softly and put her arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him, giving him a small smile.

"I mean it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I need to be fine, you know?"

"Do you?"

"Uh-huh. I want to go on with my life... what had happened... well. I guess I still feel off that I got to decide such a thing... but then again, why shouldn't I be also the one who makes stuff happen? Well, I know that you mostly made stuff happen, but you know what I mean."

"Hmm," he hummed and placed a light kiss into the redhead's hair, "I am just..."

"Good afternoon, have you decided what you'll be having?" a young waitress appeared at their pile of pillows with a polite grin. Lydia looked up at her and repaid her the smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Water, please, non-sparkling, this special rose and fruit tea and... is mango, strawberry fine?" she asked Stolos who just nodded and then added: "An espresso for me."

The waitress only replied: "Alright, thanks." and left them. Lydia turned to Stolos again, awaiting him to finish his previous sentence.

Stolos scratched the back of his neck and sent her a long gaze.

"What?" Lydia urged.

"Are you really okay with what I am?" Stolos finally asked. Lydia looked down at her hands and shrugged.

"Well... I love you... and one should support each other in good times, bad times and apparently... supernatural times as well."

"I am sorry that I kept it to myself for such a long time..."

"And what should've you done? I wouldn't believe you anyways..."

"I don't know... I just feel awful for misleading you like that. And you have no idea how I am glad that you're trying to accept me anyways," Stolos said, feeling that his eyes teared up.

"Aw, Stolos," Lydia let out softly while caressing his cheek, "so now you have the time to tell me about yourself. The good and bad, alright? I want to know it all."

"Hm, well, where to start..."

"Tell me about Credence and you."